Miami (75-66) at Philadelphia (74-67)
Currently: - Game info: 7:05 pm EDT Sat Sep 10, 2005
- TV: WPXM, WPSG
The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping they’ve gotten their push for the postseason back on track.
After snapping a five-game losing streak, the Phillies look to inch closer to the NL wild-card lead as they continue a three-game series with the playoff-hopeful Florida Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies beat the Marlins 12-5 on Friday for their first win since opening a three-game series at Washington with a 7-1 victory on Sept. 2. Philadelphia was swept in three games by the wild card-leading Houston Astros coming into this series.
“I didn’t feel too much pressure to have to get a win,” said starter Cory Lidle, who earned the victory.
“It’s big. Hopefully we can win tomorrow and get a little bit of momentum. If we can take a few series in a row and Houston slows down a little bit, everything’s going to be right back to where it was before.”
The Marlins remained a half-game behind Houston, which lost 7-4 to Milwaukee on Friday. Philadelphia led the wild-card race by a half-game before its losing streak. Philadelphia is 1 1/2 games behind.
“We’ve been able to get it done and that’s important,” Philadelphia’s Pat Burrell said. “That’s important to the confidence of this team knowing we can always come back.”
Burrell homered and drove in four runs, topping 100 RBIs for the first time since he had 116 in 2002. Ryan Howard added a homer for the Phillies, and Bobby Abreu drove in two runs.
“When we’re down the stretch like we are now, good teams hit the ball,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Juan Pierre drove in two runs for the Marlins, who won the last three of their four-game set with Washington before the series opener. The Marlins, who knocked the Phillies out of the playoff chase with a three-game, late-September sweep in 2003 en route to a World Series championship, have not won four straight since July 27-30.
“They have guys who can hit bombs, so you have to keep guys off the bases and get solo home runs,” manager Jack McKeon said.
Team Comparison
| Team | Record | Standings | Away/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 83-79 | 3rd East | Away 38-43 | Won 3 | 4-6 |
| Philadelphia | 88-74 | 2nd East | Home 46-35 | Won 4 | 7-3 |
The Good Phight
